Pillars at proper distance, no harm to bridges: MahaMetro

PUNE: The Maharashtra Metro Rail Corporation Limited (MahaMetro) has said that adequate safety measures and precautions have been taken while constructing Metro pillars near Shivaji Bridge, which is among the oldest in the city.
The Metro work has been further extended near Shivaji Bridge since the last few months. Two pillars of the Metro viaduct are coming up on both sides of the bridge that is located near the Pune Municipal Corporation building. Barricades have been placed at the site, where construction of piers is underway.

MahaMetro has said the foundation of Metro pillars will not cause any harm to the Shivaji Bridge as adequate distance has been maintained between the structure and the foundation of the arch. A geo-technical survey was carried out in the area before the location of Metro pillars was finalized in order to prevent any damage to the bridge, MahaMetro officials said.
After crossing over the Shivaji Bridge the Metro viaduct will travel towards the Civil Court. The MahaMetro has started pillar foundation work on the entire stretch up to Dengle Bridge chowk.
MahaMetro general manager (HR) Hemant Sonawane said, “MahaMetro has carried out extensive studies to ensure Shivaji Bridge would not be damaged. The piers are coming up on independent foundations at a safe distance. In the case of Shivaji Bridge, there is a distance of over four metres on both sides between the edge of the Metro piers and the bridge.”
Sonawane added that besides keeping a safe distance, the MahaMetro has carried out studies of other utilities, including underground cables, water and sewage pipelines in the area before civil work of the Metro piers was taken up. He also said the civic administration has been informed about the foundations that are closer to the bridge.
An expert from the College of Engineering, Pune, said, “The existing structure will not suffer an adverse effect if sufficient distance is maintained from it and the foundation of the new structure is entirely independent. But, there can be a concern if piers of the new structure touch the bridge or put additional load on it. The agencies must consider such points.”
The Metro viaduct is crossing three other bridges — Balgandharva Bridge, Gadgil Bridge and Lakdipul. A similar survey has been conducted near all three bridges before finalizing the design of the Metro pillars to avoid any complications, a senior MahaMetro official said.